charger Posted 21 December , 2003 Share Posted 21 December , 2003 His gravestone reads 645266 Private F.D. Aish 54th BN Canadian Inf 9th April 1917 Aged 16 One so young But following posts I got his attestation papers. Private Aish signed his papers on the 12 Jan 1916 and on the top says Duke of Connaughts Own 158TH-BN. is this the same as the 54th or was he moved. He also states that he was born in Warrington UK 22 Dec 1897, was the apparent age an estimate by the Officer from just looking at him It also appears that his name could have been Johnson. My final question. Did the Canadian forces go straight to France or did they come via England Regards Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horace Bachelor Posted 21 December , 2003 Share Posted 21 December , 2003 Hi Steve, The National Archives of Canada supplied me with my Great Uncle's service record. He sailed from Canada on 24th April 1916 on RMS Lapland arriving in England on the 5th May. He didn't go to France until 29th June. Hope this helps, Cheers, Rich. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David_Bluestein Posted 21 December , 2003 Share Posted 21 December , 2003 Did the Canadian forces go straight to France or did they come via England They always came through England, where they would encamp for further training. It was at these camps that drafts would be selected for overseas service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Broznitsky Posted 21 December , 2003 Share Posted 21 December , 2003 Private Aish signed his papers on the 12 Jan 1916 and on the top says Duke of Connaughts Own 158TH-BN. is this the same as the 54th or was he moved? Steve, Frank joined the 158th who recruited in Vancouver, British Columbia, travelled to England, and was then sent to join the 54th Kootenay Rifles (a B.C. unit), who were a fighting battalion in F&F, as David suggests. Age is always up for grabs. A man could state any birthdate, and it would be accepted. I'm sure this was true in the British and other Imperial armies. Frank died the first day of the Battle for Vimy Ridge. 54th Btn was in the Fourth Division, who were sent at Hill 145. Many Canadian casualties occurred here due to strong German resistance and enfilading fire. Hill 145 proved a tough nut to crack. 54th was redesignated as a Central Ontario battalion in August of 1917, due the large number of British Columbia men who had become casualties. As Horace suggests, you can order his complete service record from the NAC, which will tell you much more. Peter in Vancouver Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charger Posted 21 December , 2003 Author Share Posted 21 December , 2003 Thanks very much for the replies much appreciated Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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